UAE: Shady Roles and Culpable Indifference?

Sudan's Crisis: A Wake-Up Call for Global Ethics?

The news coming out of Sudan is horrifying. El Fasher has fallen, thousands are dead, and the UN is expressing “grave concern” [Source Article: Sudan: The UAE's shady role and Western nations' 'culpable indifference' Publish Date: 2025-11-03]. It feels like we’re watching a tragedy unfold in slow motion, punctuated by the dry pronouncements of international bodies. But let’s cut through the diplomatic language and get to the heart of it: what’s really going on, and what does it say about the world we’re building?

We’re hearing accusations that the UAE is arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the militia responsible for the atrocities in El Fasher. The Sudanese ambassador to India, Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom, has stated it plainly: the UAE is supplying weapons that are killing civilians [Source Article: UAE supplying weapons to Rapid Support Forces: Sudanese Ambassador to India Eltom Publish Date: 2025-11-03]. These aren’t just small arms, either. We’re talking about "strategic drones" – the kind of equipment that suggests serious state-level backing. It's a proxy war, plain and simple, with Sudanese lives caught in the crossfire. Why isn't anyone stopping this?

Kholood Khair, a Sudanese analyst, is right: Western condemnations are empty without action. It feels like we’re back in the bad old days of Cold War maneuvering, where human lives were just pawns on a geopolitical chessboard. Are we really going to stand by and watch another genocide unfold because it's politically inconvenient to upset a powerful regional player? What does it say about our values if we prioritize trade deals and strategic alliances over the lives of innocent people?

The Philippines and the UAE applying to join the CPTPP trade bloc [Philippines and UAE apply to join CPTPP to counter Trump tariffs] while these atrocities are happening creates a deeply disturbing dissonance. Is this the future we want? One where economic integration trumps (no pun intended) basic human decency?

A Moment of Moral Reckoning

This isn't just about Sudan. It’s about the kind of world we’re creating. A world where powerful nations can arm militias with impunity, where international bodies issue condemnations that carry no weight, and where economic interests trump human rights. Are we heading towards a new era of global irresponsibility? A world where the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must?

The Sudanese ambassador's plea for the RSF to be designated as a terrorist organization and for sanctions to be imposed on weapon suppliers is a start [Source Article: UAE supplying weapons to Rapid Support Forces: Sudanese Ambassador to India Eltom Publish Date: 2025-11-03]. But it's not enough. We need a fundamental shift in how we approach international relations. We need to move beyond empty rhetoric and start holding nations accountable for their actions.

It's easy to feel helpless in the face of such overwhelming tragedy. But we can't afford to give in to despair. We need to demand more from our leaders. We need to hold them accountable for their inaction. We need to remind them that human lives are more important than political expediency.

A Future Where Humanity Prevails

The situation in Sudan is a stark reminder of the challenges we face. But it’s also an opportunity. An opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to human rights, to hold powerful nations accountable, and to build a world where such tragedies are no longer possible. Let’s not squander it.

Time to Choose a Different Path